


Remembrance

by DeathlySilent13



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathlySilent13/pseuds/DeathlySilent13
Summary: Finally able to breathe after years spent running, Ed's finally figured out how to slow down, and remembers what's supposed to be important.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43
Collections: RoyEd Weekly Drabble Challenge





	Remembrance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the RoyEd Weekly Drabble Challenge 'FLOWERS' and was going to be posted days ago, but a busted hot water heater and a best friend's baby shower threw a spanner in the works. But here we go!

The wind blows, rustling the leaves. Summer stayed late, but there’s a chill that promises fall is just around the corner. Resembool is settling in for the change. Animals have already been brought into barns for the winter, and late calves have been carefully sheltered against the coming cold. Summer stalls are empty and packed away, the storefronts reinforced for regular use once more. Sheep bleat in the distance, the early morning likely meaning they’re now scattering across the southern hills for a day of grazing. 

Edward looks up from the row of lush greenery he’d been focused on. Straining to hear, he catches the sound of the front door slamming, and sighs. Winry flings the back door open, standing there with her hands on her hips. 

“We’re gonna be late, you idiot!” she hollers, and turns to head back inside. 

The blond head shakes, but Edward stands, the last of the year’s tomatoes now gathered in a small basket. He heads inside, leaving them on the counter so he can change. His leather pants have been relegated to a box in the closet these days, but he ignores his slacks in favor of a pair of tan shorts, a black tank top, and an unbuttoned white button-up. Leather sandals are slipped on almost haphazardly just as the single greatest voice he’ll ever hear comes up the stairs. 

“I’m back!” 

He rushes the figure still standing in the front door, setting Al to laughing. He’d been in Xing studying Alkahestry full time, but he still comes back for this. The basket of tomatoes and three bouquets of flowers. Al’s outfitted similar to Ed, in one of their usual outfits from when they were little. Winry’s swapped out her tube top for a simple summer dress. The house is locked up, and they head down the walk. 

It had taken time, even after everything was over, for Ed to decide what to do. He’d travelled, to Creta, up to Drachma by mostly accident, and then ended up circling around after Al had gotten word to him somehow that they were getting a full ride to the Alkahestry University in Xing. It hadn’t been easy, and some days it still hurts, but they finally found a rhythm. Al’s travelling still, not yet ready to settle down in any one place, but Ed’s automail and old battle injuries are taking a toll, and he’s tired. 

He bypassed Central and returned home, using a chunk of his leftover money from the military to raze, clear, and rebuild their childhood home. There’s small differences, but it looks enough like it used to that the whole town came out when it was done to see. An entire town, standing in front of one house with tears in every last eye. 

They approach the cemetery, and no one falters in their steps as they move through the headstones. It’s become a routine since they stopped running to visit together at least once a year. The boys decided early to use her birthday to remember her life instead of immortalizing her death and their descent into choices that led to the trials that still keeps Ed up at night. 

Winry came back after completing her apprenticeship in Rush Valley and lives full time with Granny again. The old woman is slowing down and refuses to admit it, so Winry’s staying to make sure she’s able to take as much of the workload as she can get away with. She and Ed come up much more frequently, making the journey for each of her parent’s birthdays as well. They both come up for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as well. Al doesn’t always make the trips, though he always sends something for them to bring. Tricia’s birthday is the one Al never misses. 

Spotting the headstone, cleaned and alchemically recarved so it doesn’t fade, they spread a blanket out and kneel. All three of them have bouquets of white carnations, and soft greetings are uttered as they’re placed in the rings lining her headstone that had been added several years back. They settle in with a picnic basket to catch Tricia up on their lives over lunch, and Ed leaves the tomatoes on the grave. Tricia had loved them, and grown them with care, so one of the first things he did after he’d rebuilt the house was replant them. He’s not even particularly fond of them himself, but he keeps them for his mother. 

The sound of footsteps approaching surprises them as they begin to pack up, and three striking blonde heads turn in unison. Winry’s brow furrows, but Ed just rests a hand on her shoulder as Al stands, and reaches back to help Ed to his feet, knowing that the coming storm is hell on the automail. 

Roy Mustang offers the trio a soft smile, white lilies in his hands. It would be strange, if they all didn’t know that he takes the same to Maes Hughes’s grave as well. Hawkeye’s behind him with an impressive display of roses, and the rest of Team Mustang bears an assortment of colors that Ed thinks idly would have made his mom happy. He expected them to come, though the presence of Maria Ross and Major Miles surprise him. He smiles all the same. 

“You’re early,” Ed says. Al elbows him, but he just laughs. “We’re supposed to grab them from the station after dinner, remember?” 

Al shakes his head. “You could still be nicer, Brother,” he says as the group approaches, the new offerings being carefully piled on the grave in a wreath of color. Ed thinks it’s fitting, she did so love plants and nurturing life. Maybe he’ll plant a small garden with three or four bright flowers next to her tombstone. He’s here now, he can come tend them. 

“Nah, they’ve met me before,” Ed fires back, setting several to laughing.

Amidst the snickering and back-slapping, they head back up to the house. Winry peels off at the fork in the path, headed back to her own house to check on Granny. The older woman likely won’t be up to the trek, so Winry will come by once Granny’s settled in bed. 

Ed leads the way up to the rebuilt house, sharing a vaguely conspiratorial look with Al at the way the team’s steps falter. They all knew, of course, that the house had long been burnt down. Ed hadn’t ever intended to return, but He’d spent so much of his life running that when given the chance, he chose to make sure Al always had a home to come back to now that he could live his life.

Coats are shed and shoes are removed and it doesn’t take long for everyone to be scattered across the living room. Ed and Al have just enough time to set tea out for everyone before another knock sounds, and Alex Louis Armstrong comes into their home trailing no viewer than 50 bouquets of all kinds. 

Ed just shakes his head, letting the familiarity wash over him as Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Maria, and Miles get into a heated debate over train seats and the worst stretches of track and Al gives Hawkeye and Armstrong the grand tour, the latter’s booming voice gushing over the tomato vines. Mustang takes advantage of the opportunity and settles next to Ed. 

“I’m surprised,” he says softly. At Ed’s lifted eyebrow, the older man just smiles. “I’m not sure you realize how many people worried about you and whether you’d find peace after it was all over. We didn’t know what would happen.” 

Ed snorts. “You sound like you were waiting for me to wither in the sudden inactivity and fade away.” 

He’d meant it as a joke, of course, but a glance at Mustang’s face tells him a very different story. He sighs, setting his teacup down. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you I didn’t falter. The first six months weren’t bad, I had Al to focus on, but once we went our separate ways I wondered what I’d do with my life.Where I’d go once I achieved the impossible. Did a fair bit of travelling, learning the things I never had the time to focus on before. When we got back, Al went to Rush Valley to see Winry, and I hopped down to see Teacher.” 

He pauses, grinning at the memory. Mustang doesn’t push, basking in how much easier Ed can breathe now. 

“She had another pair of siblings staying with her. I got there in just enough time to go with her to get them from the island, actually. A brother and sister, this time. They tried tripping me up with rhetorical questions over dinner, though of course I kept up and often turned them into actual answers. Teacher looked at me kinda like you are now, and made me wonder if I can teach kids enough to not make my mistakes. It’s no secret that I’m here, after all.” 

Mustang doesn’t immediately reply, and eventually Ed looks over at him. He doesn’t understand the look on Mustang’s face, but it’s not the same patronizing smirk that it used to be, so Ed doesn’t bother to bristle. 

Eventually, Mustang lifts a hand, but pauses before he comes into contact with Ed’s bangs and drops his hand once more. “I missed you,” he whispers. “Far more than I have any right to.” 

Ed would scowl if he didn’t think Mustang would take it wrong. He owes Al money….. _again_. “So don’t go. You’re overseeing Eastern Command now, right? Think you can handle a measly 40 minute train ride every day?” 

Mustang blinks, looking at Ed with the kind of hopeful delight that the blond has only ever seen on Black Hayate’s face when someone has a hot dog. Ed just grins, entirely unrepentant. 

“Perhaps we should stick with weekend visits until I don’t have to worry that you’re going to turn his uniform orange,” comes a sensible and completely unsurprised voice from behind them, causing them both to jump. 

Hawkeye doesn’t look the least bit bothered, however, and Ed glances between her and Mustang and laughs at the realization that they’d likely had a very similar conversation to the one he and Al had put themselves through. 

Ed plucks a single white chrysanthemum from a nearby vase and sticks it behind Mustang’s ear with a grin. “Deal.”


End file.
